E3 2017: Mario, Pokémon, Zelda, And All The Announcements From Nintendo Direct

In 2013, Nintendo decided to shift gears when it came to E3 and ditch the press conference in favor of a Nintendo Direct livestream. This has paid dividends for Nintendo since it avoids the awkward moments of previous press conferences and keeps the focus on the games.

The E3 2017 Nintendo Direct is going to be key for Nintendo as it needs to keep the momentum up from a successful Switch launch. With Mario, Pokémon, and more, it definitely looks like Nintendo delivered this year with some big announcements.

Mario, Zelda, and More Updates

A good half of the news was providing updates for the slate of games already announced. This meant plenty of release dates for games that have been sitting pretty since the Switch released in March. The biggest is obviously Super Mario Odyssey, which was revealed to be released on Oct. 27, 2017. It also got a new trailer going more into the new hat that Mario is wearing, which seems to have a mind of its own. Three new amiibos will also be released that will feature Mario, Peach, and Bowser in some swanky attire.

Breath of the Wild also got some good news with the first looks at the two expansions coming to the game this summer and holiday. First, The Master Trials will release June 30 and features a type of horde mode where players will fight bokoblins and steadily upgrade to better gear and weapons. Second, there's The Champion's Ballad, which will release this holiday and will be the story expansion. There will also be a new amiibos released of the four champions from Breath of the Wild and will likely release around the same time as the second expansion.

Fire Emblem Warriors and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 also got new trailers to show off more of what each game has to offer. Fire Emblem looks very much in line with Tecmo's Dynasty Warriors games and Xenoblade looks like it will play like previous games in the series. While neither got a solid date, Nintendo did say that both would release later this year. Whether or not that changes remain to be seen.

Pokémon And Surprise Announcements

Nintendo did have some big announcements to share this year as well for its loyal fan-base. The first, and probably biggest, is that Metroid Prime 4 is finally happening after all these years. The last game in the series, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, released back in 2007 and fans have been asking for a new entry ever since. There wasn't much else besides the game's logo, but this is bombshell regardless. There will also be a 3DS Metroid released this September — Metroid: Samus Returns. The game is a 2D action-platformer that is described as a "re-imagining" of Metroid II on the Game Boy.

There was also the announcement that a Pokémon RPG is being worked on by Game Freak and the Pokémon Company for the Switch. Rumors of this game floated around for some time, with a potential reveal originally believed to occur with the pre-E3 Pokémon livestream where Pokkén Tournament DX and Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon were announced. The game is a ways off, though, and won't release for more than a year.

Competitive players will also be happy because Rocket League will be coming to the Switch later this year. The competitive kart-soccer game will release this holiday with Nintendo-themed rewards and hats for anyone looking for Rocket League on the go.

Kirby and Yoshi will also be getting the new game treatment, with announcement trailers for games that, as of right now, are just the characters' names. Kirby's new game will be a 2D platformer that will deliver a game more in line with traditional Kirby games. This means all the inhaling enemies, shape-shifting, and weapons fans could want. Yoshi's game looks like it's taking some inspiration from the Paper Mario games with the paper-mache and cardboard worlds. Yoshi will also have a level of 3D platforming, having to move back and forth from different planes.

That was a lot to squeeze in less than an hour, regardless of company. But if anyone could do it, it was Nintendo, and there was plenty of news to make fans happy.

Kevin Billings Tech Times editor Kevin Billings is a born geek at heart. Whether it's video games, movies, tv, comics, or tech, you will likely find Kevin there. And he feels gratified in his passions now that geek culture has come to dominate mainstream pop culture.